7 Important Security Tips For Your Windows PC We know that Windows is by far the most popular operating system in the world. However, that doesn't make it the most secure operating system.
Since Windows has the widest reach among masses, it has always been the prime target of hackers and spammers. Hence, when compared to other major operating systems like Mac and Linux, you'd find Windows to have the most risk.
There are many ways for regular people to protect themselves from these vulnerabilities. I will share seven such tips below and while these tips may not guarantee foolproof security, they do make your computer less prone to attacks and hence, more secure.
Use OpenDNS
This tip should be considered as a general tip for every personal computer connected to the internet, irrespective of the operating system installed. Recently discovered was a major threat to DNS, the system that translates names you can remember, like dumblittleman.com, to computer readable IP addresses. Hence it became important that the DNS servers used by your ISP are safe.
OpenDNS is an independent, free and secure DNS service which can be implemented on your system in a few easy steps mentioned on their website. It secures you from phishing attacks and provides many other features like content filtering and privacy controls.
Use A Good Antivirus And Firewall
If you are a windows user, it's never recommended that you connect to the internet without a good antivirus and firewall. With new viruses being identified everyday, it's important that you secure your PC against them. If you cannot buy one, there are many quality free options available. I personally use Avira Antivirus.
If your antivirus package includes a firewall then that's good. However, if it doesn't then you could go for good free firewalls like ZoneAlarm or Comodo. These are better than the Windows' in-built firewall.
Use Process Explorer
Process Explorer is a free tool provided by Microsoft which lets you analyze the running processes and programs and identify any suspicious activity. It can be used as an alternative to the Windows task manager, which is not as comprehensive and doesn't reveal all the running processes.
Install Malware Protection software
Malware are malicious programs disguised as genuine software and designed to infiltrate your system for the purpose of spying or causing other damage. Many malware can dodge the antivirus and therefore it is advised that you install a separate malware protection software. There are many good malware protection softwares available like Spybot and Comodo BOClean.
Shut Down Unnecessary Services
Many services, like Telnet and Windows Remote Registry Service, should be turned off if you don't need them. Although these services are important if you want to connect remotely to your computer, they also make your PC more vulnerable to getting compromised.
You should be cautious while trying this step because disabling an important service could stop your computer from functioning properly. Here is an article which gives elaborate step-by-step details for turning off unnecessary services in Windows XP. The steps are almost the same for Vista.
Update Regularly
Make sure that Windows Automatic Updates is turned on and that you update regularly. It installs important security patches and should not be ignored. Also keep your antivirus software and other programs up to date.
Protect Your Data
No matter how many steps you take to secure your computer, a dedicated hacker with time can find a way in. Hence you should make sure that you regularly backup your important data, or take it off your computer completely and keep it in an external hard drive. Also make sure that you use strong passwords which aren't dictionary words but a weird combination of letters, numbers and special characters which you can remember.
Cheers,
Abhijeet
 | Written on 11/12/2008 by Abhijeet Mukherjee. You can catch him at Jeet Blog where he blogs about different Web 2.0 apps a nd online tools and how they can help you become more productive. | Photo Credit:
vrogy |
 Why Mom Was Right About Everything When you were a kid, your mother gave you lots of good advice. And like most kids, you probably ignored a lot of it. But whether you’re sixteen or sixty now, try revisiting some of those wise things that mom said: they’ll help in all areas of your life. Here are just a few examples:
“If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Sure, there are times when you just want to blurt out what’s on your mind. Maybe your friend’s done something stupid – or maybe your partner’s bad habits are driving you nuts. But how many times have you lost a friend or hurt your partner because you spoke in anger and said something cruel?
If you can’t trust yourself to say something nice, then it’s wise to keep your mouth shut. You might have to tackle someone’s behavior – but do this gently, when you’re feeling calm.
“Wash your hands before eating.” How many of us make a point of always washing our hands before eating? When you were a kid, prone to grubbing around in the mud, picking up snails and worms, and following it up with a spot of finger-painting … mom almost certainly made you wash your hands before a meal.
Now you work in an office, or have a nice clean home, you don’t need to bother, right?
A number of experts suggest that you might be very wrong there. For example:
- “Work stations contain nearly 400 times as many microbes than lavatories.” (Lifting the lid on computer filth)
- “The phone comes out as the germiest object in the office, followed by the desktop, keyboard, mouse, fax machine, and photocopier.” (Dr. Germ)
- “It's very easy for hands to spread bacteria all round the kitchen, because we touch so many things, from food to fridge handles, towels to can openers.” (Eat Well, Be Well – Cleaning)
Finish your dinner before you eat dessert.” Could you do with losing a few pounds? If so, going back to some of the rules that mom had when you were a kid can help. Eating a healthy entrée is better for you than filling up on chocolate fudge cake: only eat dessert foods when you’ve had a proper meal first, and you’ll be less likely to overindulge.
How about following some of these rules too?
- No snacks (except fruit or nuts) between meals.
- Soda as a special treat, not an every day drink.
- Candy limited to once or twice a week.
- Eat your vegetables.
"Brush your teeth at least twice a day.” Do you brush your teeth twice a day, every day, for at least two minutes? Or do you find it too much of a hassle? Getting into the routine of regular tooth-brushing (after breakfast, and just before bed) will help prevent costly and painful visits to the dentist.
There is no better way to prevent bad teeth than brushing teeth. It’s such a basic oral hygiene procedure that everyone knows about it. (Brushing Teeth)
In the UK, one in ten people don’t even brush their teeth once a day. (ShortNews article.)
“Tidy your room.”
Stop reading for a moment, and have a look around your room. How tidy is it? Is there more clutter than you’d like? Are you always “about to get around to tidying up”? Do you find yourself wasting time hunting for important files? Is your stapler never where it should be?
When mom nagged you to tidy your room, she knew what she was talking about. Can you enjoy your work when your mood is being dragged down by piles of clutter? How efficient are you if you have to regularly hunt through all the mess to lay your hands on the one thing that you need? Set aside some time this week – even just fifteen minutes will help – to tidy up. Too busy? Then you definitely need to do this, as the state of your desk is eating up time and energy which you can’t afford.
“Write thank you notes.”
When you were given birthday presents, I bet mom made you sit down and write a bunch of thank you notes. You might have grumbled (I know I did), but there were a couple of great reasons for it. Firstly, it’s plain old good manners. If someone gives you something or does you a favor, you should thank them.
If that’s not motivation enough for you, consider this:
"I will also grudgingly tell you the hidden secret of thank you notes: They improve the frequency and quality of the gifts you receive. People like being appreciated, and if they feel you actually notice the nice things they do for you, they’re more likely to give an encore performance." (How to Write a Thank You Note) And if someone’s helped you out in a business context (perhaps they’ve interviewed you for a job), writing a thank you letter is an excellent way to make sure they feel appreciated.What other wisdom did your mom have that you know would help you out today? Share some of her great advice with us in the comments – and let us know what you’re doing to follow it!
 | Written on 11/12/2008 by Ali Hale. Ali runs Alpha Student, a blog packed with academic, financial and practical tips to help students get the most out of their time at university. | Photo Credit: sir_scutter |
 7 Steps to Zap Your Creativity Do you find your life a little routine, like you're stuck in a rut? Does it seem like you barely have time for work and life commitments, let alone creative outlets?
It's unfortunate but it seems for many of us, the daily grind of doing what we need to do in order to survive often saps us of our creativity. Instead of being sapped, how would you like to be zapped?
How would your life be different if you were more creative? What would you do differently if you had the time and energy to tap into your creativity? Would you enjoy your job more? Would you find ways to enhance your business? Would your personal relationships be rejuvenated? Would you increase your skill in your favorite hobby? Would you be happier and more alive? Would you feel like you were living more of your potential?
I know for myself, when I am more creative, my life takes on a new energy. I feel enthusiastic, excited, and energized. When ideas pop into my head, I can either enjoy them for what they are or implement them in my life.
Everyone has a creative wellspring within them. If you've been sapped but want to be zapped, here's how to tap into that creativity inside you.
- Look closely
Observe the world around you. Pay attention, search for details, and notice what's new and different in your environment rather than assuming nothing has changed.
Creativity is born out of curiosity so look for patterns in the sky, compare two trees standing side by side, watch people as they move and talk. Keep a notebook with you to jot down your observations, making comparisons, and noting what interests you. Take notes when you're stopped in traffic, running on the treadmill at the gym, or sitting at the coffee shop.
- Listen intently
Use your ears as sharply as you use your eyes. Listen for unusual sounds in your surroundings and pay attention to dialogue between people, traffic sounds, and the sound of silence.
Did you know the letters in "listen" also spell "silent"? Get silent and listen to your inner sounds. What creative ideas are trying to come through the noise in your head? What can you hear around you when you silence that inner dialogue? Creativity stems from your inner thoughts and may even come from that place where we are all connected in consciousness. Stay open to creative ideas with your ears wide open.
- Ask wisely
Did you know that dumb questions evoke smart answers? Well, there's really no such thing as a dumb question but creative people ask lots of questions: "How come? Why is that like that? What's important here? What's missing? What's next? How can I do this another way?"
Great questions provoke great solutions. Ask other people, from the experts to everyday folks. Then ask yourself. Put your inner creative juices to work.
- Brainstorm often
Collaborating with others can generate new ideas that you might not come up with on your own. Release any judgment, turn off the editor, and don't censor any ideas that arise. Focus more on the process than the outcome because that's where the ideas will start flying. When you want to brainstorm on your own, use mind maps to pull ideas from the right brain as well as the left.
- Be childlike
Children are highly creative. They make up songs, tell stories, and invent characters. They're open, playful, and curious. Highly creative people know how to have fun and to laugh at life and themselves. They don't take anything too seriously, knowing life is a joyful game. They exude passion, playfulness, and pleasure. In a childlike state, how can you be anything but creative?
- Change often
Find one thing to change every day. Break your routine, change the way you do something, listen to a new radio station, take a different route to work. Is your life tiring or inspiring? Notice how other people do things and experiment with new ways of doing ordinary things in extraordinary ways.
- Solve problems
A creative mind loves problems. That's when it pulls out all the stops to come up with solutions. Don't put a limit on your ideas; pull from the past. Experience, experiment and improvise... explore and invent. Take risks, learn from mistakes, keep creating, and never give up.
Use these 7 tips to zap your creativity and you'll find you are happier, more alive, and more successful in all areas of your life.
 | Written on 11/12/2008 by David Bohl. David shares the viral message Slow Down FAST and helps people raise the roof on all facets of their lives without risking implosion. Get some must-haves here. | Photo Credit: {meagen} |
 The Power of Writing Things Down One of my favorite tricks for improving many areas of my life is really simple: I write things down. This is a hugely powerful way to focus your attention, keep track of life, create a permanent record for the future, and much more.
If you think writing is a waste of time – read on for some great reasons to get in the habit of putting pen to paper on a regular basis.
The Act of Writing Helps Your Memory
Have you ever noticed that when you write a shopping list you can remember almost all the items on it without glancing at it? Or when you have a bright idea and scribble it in your notebook, you can remember it all day? The very act of writing things down helps to get them lodged into your long-term, not short-term, memory.
Boost your memory by:
- Writing out your to-do list at the start of each day
- Recording ideas and thoughts as they occur to you
- Memorizing facts for tests by writing them out several times
Written Words Form a Permanent Record
When you’re engaged in a new project or venture, why not keep a log of some sort so that you can look back on your experiences in future years? By writing down day-to-day details, you create a permanent, clear record of what would otherwise be a vague cloud of thoughts about a particular time or event in your life.
Make your thoughts last by:
- Keeping a diary or online blog
- Recording significant events in an “achievements book”
- Writing milestones and memories in a baby book for your child
Writing Shows You’re Serious
I’m sure you’ve heard the advice “get it in writing”, about business transactions: it’s much easier to weasel out of something we’ve said, but writing down a promise or contract shows that you intend to honor it. This doesn’t just apply in the business world, though. What means more – saying the words “I love you”, or handing your partner a beautifully-written letter? Which will they treasure for years?
Show that you mean what you say by:
- Sending a letter instead of making a phone call
- Putting your goals in writing
- Writing down what you want your life to be like in five years’ time
Writing Keeps You Accountable
If you’ve ever tried to lose weight or cut down on your spending, you might have kept a food diary or a spending log. It’s much easier to track your progress when you have something in writing – and much harder to lie to yourself. When you’re working on a goal that requires daily action, keep a record, in writing; you’ll be surprised at what a difference it makes to your motivation and self-discipline levels.
Stay accountable by:
- Having a weekly review of how your life is going
- Keeping track of daily goals, like fruit and vegetable intake, or regular exercise
- Regularly reviewing what you’ve written down to see where you could do better
You Can Work Through Things In Writing
When you’re faced with a knotty problem or a difficult situation in life, try writing about it. Just thinking about how to resolve something can end up making you feel more and more stressed as your thoughts will often go around in circles. Setting aside some time to write about it will help you to process emotions, see the problem in a different light, and work your way towards a solution.
Try working through problems by:
- Writing a dialogue between two voices, if you’re struggling to pick a course of action
- Stating your problem on the page, and brainstorming around it
- Spending ten minutes listing as many ways to deal with the situation as possible
Has writing already helped you to improve your life? Do you think any of the above ideas will be useful to you in tackling an area that you’re currently working on?
| Written on 11/10/2008 by Ali Hale. Ali runs Alpha Student, a blog packed with academic, financial and practical tips to help students get the most out of their time at university. | Photo Credit: apesara |
 The Leonardo da Vinci Guide To Being A Renaissance Man Leonardo da Vinci excelled in every facet of the arts and sciences and was undoubtedly one of the most brilliant men in history. The question, then, is whether Leonardo's natural brilliance allowed him to easily absorb all this knowledge, or whether his curiosity and engrossment in this vast array of knowledge lead him to become brilliant.
When looking at a person such as Leonardo da Vinci, one can't help but to be impressed and almost envious of this man's ability to be so good at just about anything that he put his mind to. Some people remain jealous, others quickly dismiss him as an anomaly, while a few ask themselves what it would take to become half as smart and competent as this man.
Luckily for us, Leonardo da Vinci did a lot of writing. By analyzing his life work, we can get a feel for the type of mentality this man had. By internalizing his paradigms and assimilating his character traits into our own, we can be well on our way to being a worldly man, or perhaps a renaissance man.
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” For some reason, people tend to make things very complicated. Moving forward with this concept in mind, we start seeing all the places in our lives and in our thought processes where a straight line can actually be the shortest path between two points.
When we stop taking the roundabout way and focus our curiosity on the fundamentals, we're able to build a solid foundation of truths that can be applied to any area of our lives. Imagine if you stop accepting nonsense as truth and stop assuming that the conventional wisdom spewed at you by society is true. What you are left with is you and you'll essentially force yourself to conduct personal research to find out what is really so.
By stacking all incoming facts on top of a foundation of truth, you will be creating an interconnecting web of tangible truths. These are things you can test and prove to be true with certainty. Imagine living a life, where you've replaced all doubt with extreme certainty."I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.”  When an extremely knowledgeable man tells you that knowing is not enough, you should probably listen. Forget what you learned from movies such as The Secret that tell you that it's enough to want and to dream. Take the missing step -- take action.
How many times do you see a highly educated person doing really stupid things to their body such as eating themselves into obesity, smoking, or excessively drinking? They know they should stop, but they aren't doing the action of stopping.
Likewise when that light bulb lights up in your head and you get that brilliant idea, it's time to make a decision. Will you do nothing about it or will you take action?
“There are three classes of people: those who see, those who see when they are shown, those who do not see.”
A person enters a mental progression from childhood into adulthood. This progression is similar to how a person starts a new field at entry level and progresses to mastery. If you're going to progress, or not progress, it is largely a personal choice.
When you start learning something, you want to ask "how can I do this?" You'll eventually find out the answer, but then you progress. Next you throw in your thoughts but seek out validation from an expert and say something along the lines of, "this is how I think it should be done, what do you think about my solution."
These two questions should never really be outgrown. However, you must also learn the art of critical thinking, problem solving, and strategizing, so that one day you can say, "this is in fact how it should be done." If you're always stuck in "how can I do this?" mode and you're always being fed the answer, you're never giving your mind a chance to expand.“A well-spent day brings happy sleep [and] as a well spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well spent brings happy death.” Leonardo da Vinci's work ethic was such that his days were spent learning and doing, not idling and procrastinating. It's fairly simple to do an hour-by-hour or task-by-task analysis of our average day. What might not come as a surprise to you is that many people will be lucky to be unsatisfied with their average day. If they're unlucky they'll be disgusted and depressed by their days and the lack of progress they make.
What are we to do if we like the prospect of enjoying great amounts of pleasure each and every day of our lives? One option is to follow the path of our heart and make every action that we take contribute to our life mission and towards accomplishing our dearest goals. The other option is to accept everything the way it is, do nothing to change our current state, and let life happen to us. It's nothing more than a personal choice of whether you want to make life happen, or if you want life to happen to you.
At the end of the day, and at the end of our life, the responsibility for the way we live sits directly on our shoulders, whether we choose to accept this truth or not. Sometimes you have to accept what happens to you and it's this choice of accept that allows you to move forward and strive for the greatness that you were meant to achieve."You can have no dominion greater or less than that over yourself.” A person with self-discipline, otherwise known as personal integrity, is one that has a strong relationship with their word. They are able to physically go out and do what they say they will, whether it's keeping commitments to other people or keeping commitments to themselves.
Self-discipline starts and ends at the mouth. That means that we're liable for the words that we speak, as well as the food that we put into our mouth. By mastering self-discipline in this way, there is no limit to how powerful and effective we will be in life. Self-discipline is pronounced when we ask ourselves the right life questions and use our curiosity to seek the truth.
Refer back to the greatest feelings of well being that you have experienced. Now do an honest self-assessment of whether these experiences are internal or external. I think you'll notice that the accomplishments that you are most pleased with are based on an exceedingly large personal display of self-discipline. The events that are the biggest disappointments are most likely due to a lack of self-discipline and integrity on your part. By building on top of this truth, it would make sense for you to do more things that make great results and continue to develop your self-discipline to new levels.“Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation ... even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.” Metaphorically speaking, men are like sharks. A shark must move forward in order for water to pass through it's gills so that it obtains oxygen for survival. In fact, a shark is constantly moving forward, even when it is asleep. In the same way, a person must be moving forward in life, toward goals, so that knowledge, just like the shark's oxygen, passes through us and acts as our life source.
Much like eating, drinking, and breathing, it becomes our personal necessity to keep learning, and increasing our knowledge in all areas of our life. Learning new facts and discovering new truths, sends an exciting zap of energy throughout our minds. Learning can actually be addicting and create a feeling of well-being, unlike inaction, which makes us feel lethargic in mind, body, and spirit.
“The depth and strength of a human character are defined by its moral reserves. People reveal themselves completely only when they are thrown out of the customary conditions of their life, for only then do they have to fall back on their reserves.” Leonardo da Vinci long recognizes what we today call 'getting out of our comfort zones.' If we maintain a level of intensity in our mental or physical workouts, after we've already become accustomed to them; we will never grow to reach the next level.
Image getting down and doing one push up, then repeating this the next day, and the day after that. You're making zero progress and you'll never get to the point where you can do one hundred in a row. The same thing goes with simple addition. You can do one plus one, or one plus nine, but if that's all you're doing you'll never understand the equations of quantum physics.
All this means is that you have to feel the pain in order to achieve the gain. This all leads to exultation as you achieve more and more of the goals you've set up for yourself.
“The truth of things is the chief nutriment of superior intellects.” All signs point to the source of Leonardo da Vinci's genius as being his unquenchable hunger for the truth. From the moment he opened his eyes in the morning to the moment he rested his head on the pillow at night, he sought out the truth in mathematics, engineering, inventing, anatomy, painting, sculpting, architecture, botany, music and writing.
If you observe a child, as he ages from childhood to early adulthood, you may find that the eager curiosity dissipates into quiet surrender, otherwise known as resignation. A person that is resigned and cynical would not bother to question what they did not know, they would merely denounce it and that would mark the end of their intellectual pursuit. By keeping our unwavering curiosity pointed towards the truth, we are able to tap into and unleash our very own genius.
“All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions.” Some things in our universe are laws; gravity is gravity. On the other hand, we need to be able to correctly interpret a universal law for what it is through testing and measurement so that it isn't attributed to a false theory.
The sun is powered by the sun God, the rain is due to the rain God, and love is thanks to the God of love. That's how people used to reason before science. Without a person perceiving something in the right way, Newton might have thought that some invisible man was throwing apples straight down at his head.
This is why it is important for us to test, experiment, and seek out truth. It enables us to attribute what we perceive to already known truths while getting rid of false knowledge. This applies to absolutely anything that you can think of.
How You Can Be a Renaissance Man (or Woman)
Being a true renaissance man means being a person who has impeccable life balance and then takes it a step further by being exceptional in each said area of their life. I'm not talking about good in these areas, I'm talking about being in the 99th percentile in anything you choose to undertake.
It's like being an octopus and having these obnoxiously long tentacles, made of titanium, that grip and hold onto anything in your path. One might even consider such a person as having Attention Surplus Disorder and laser sharp focus.
The theory behind this is much like Leonardo da Vinci, when you have a balance in all areas of your life, they will exponentially propel your overall growth. Think of it as all the areas of your life working in synergy, and the whole is equal to more then the sum of it's parts. To be a modern day renaissance man, you must study and perform in the following areas of your life.
- Health & Fitness. Study anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology so that you know the exact make up of your body and how you should take care of it. Train with an elite personal trainer, body builder, or fitness model, so you have real life examples of what it takes to eat clean, exercise right, and look and feel great.
- Mental Development & Education. Study psychology, science, art, engineering, mathematics, philosophy, architecture, music, and botany. Find other areas of interest that you can study as well. You can get through an entry level text book rather quickly and dive into more advanced fields over time.
- Work, Career, & Finances. Start studying finance, economics, and statistics. Know how things in this industry interconnect both locally and globally. This will enable you to tap into ideas that can either help the economy or make you a boat load of money. When you're working in a company or own a business, know what it takes to work every job from janitor to CEO, as well as what goes on with suppliers, distributors, and customers.
- Social life & Relationships. People can either keep us balanced and on point, or give us a helping push towards madness. By being socially adept, you'll know how to interact and utilize relationships for your benefit. You'll also know how to benefit mankind. Study some more psychology and get personal experience.
- Home & Family. This is your safe zone and should be full of the people you love and trust. These are the relationships that you hold near and dear and they determine how the rest of the relationships in your life will be. The key here is to be a giver instead of a taker.
- Character, Integrity, Ethics & Virtues. This category can be improved upon through the studies of philosophy and people that have the character traits that you seek and admire. The number one way to improve here is to set up strict personal rules that will determine your behavior in different situations.
- Emotion Control & Development. There are many books on these subjects. You'll be able to tie in everything from meditation to medical and scientific explanations for why you have certain reactions to specific situations. When your in control of your emotions, you can use them as rocket fuel in accomplishing your predefined life goals.
- Daily habits & routines. Study GTD, and experiment with your own productivity systems, so that you can go to sleep happy, knowing that you had a day well spent. Once you start tracking how you spend your time, you'll see just how much time you're actually wasting, and be able to turn your productivity and level of fulfillment up a notch.
- Life Purpose & Contribution. At the end of the day it doesn't matter how much money you're going to be buried with. What matters is the positive impact that you've left on the world. By being a renaissance man, you've gone above and beyond in your personal development. It's time to give back and contribute.
- Spiritual Development. Whether you believe in God or have some other existential ideas about what we're doing here, it is important to not neglect this area of your life. Meditate, breathe, and relax while you take the time out of the chaos that is your day for introspection.
Go ahead and expand your mind. Don't be afraid to go to the library and enter a section that you've never been in before. Pick up an entry level textbook in the subject of interest, read it, do the exercises in the book, and soon enough you'll be able to digest advanced scientific journals and do personal experiments about this very same subject.
By having a well rounded education, you'll be able to tie together things that other people cannot possibly see. You'll find similarities in sculpting and mathematics, pick up overlaps in engineering and anatomy, have an incredible physique at the same time as you have flourishing relationships -- you'll be a modern day renaissance man (or woman).
Sources: [historical facts, quotes, supplementary Photos by: mandj98, pasotraspaso,treyevan]
 Helpful Ways To Save Money In Hard Times The credit crunch is continuing to beat thousands of people out of their homes - people who once lived the American dream. They worked hard for their dream and thanks to a volatile situation with several areas of blame, many of them are now homeless without money to spare.
Living without money and struggling to pay bills sucks big time. It is not only devastating for those who have to live with this situation, but it also destroys families and lives in the process.
But are there ways you can actually help yourselves, and if yes, what can you do to protect yourself against losing a home or running out of money?
These are hard questions because none of us can see into the future. Nevertheless, they are part of our lives now, whether we like it or not, and as we watch the shocking reality of the credit crunch unfold on the world stage it is high time we all found ways to protect ourselves from being the next victim.
- Cut impulsive spending
In times when money is short, it is more important than ever to stop impulsive spending immediately. Even if you just save $20/week by not having a cup of coffee around the corner every morning it can add up (the latte effect). Instead you could pay this excess money on to your mortgage to bring down the interest payments which will further save you dollars.
- Look for a second income
Many job earners are in a situation when they don't know whether they still have a job tomorrow. Think real estate, the banking sector, local small businesses. Many of these are especially endangered due to a slow economy. Most people have no excess money to spend anymore and this creates a massive chain reaction with many businesses going bust.
If you work in a high risk industry, act now and look for alternative income streams. It may mean working two jobs or doing some freelancing on the side, and regardless, it will mean more time on the job than off. Even if this means you will be uncomfortable for some time, you rather be that than broke and without a home.
- Cut up your credit card
If you find it hard to deal with credit and feel that you cannot pay off your credit card bills in full every month, you are better off without credit cards. The problem with these is that we don't think before we buy because we don't have to hold physical money in our hands before we spend it.
It takes re-education and new habits for you to become a more responsible shopper.
- Consolidate your loans
I hesitate to offer this tip but if you really do your homework and create a clear plan that will reduce your overall spending habits, consolidating may be a decent option. Be sure to watch everything from the term of the loan to the interest rate and penalties. Many times this will reduce your monthly payments so you have a better cash position each month allowing you to apply money to other, more important things, like food and clothes.
- Think twice before you buy stuff
Do you really need that fancy new hand bag you saw in the window of your local boutique the other day? How about those new CD's you desperately want? Sometimes it is better to sleep on the decision whether to buy something or not.
Instead of wasting your money on stuff that will only end up cluttering your home, be smarter and look for alternative ways to satisfy those shopping cravings. Perhaps you are upset and need a little pick me up to make you happy. When we associate feelings of excitement and happiness with shopping for new things we can quickly fall into a dangerous and expensive pit of self destruction.
- Recycle
Recycling doesn't limit itself to glass bottles and tins. You can also recycle clothing, household items, clutter, Cd's, electrical gear and more. One man's rubbish is another man's treasure. Before you throw these unwanted goods into the bin, sell them in a garage sale or on ebay to make some additional money.
- Offer your services to friends and family
A great way to raise additional funds when times are tight is to offer paid services to friends and family. If you have a talent with the needle, why not offer to do alterations for people. Alternatively, if you are good with money you can offer to do tax returns for a small fee. The idea here is to think outside the box to find ways in which you can earn additional income without having to bust your guts finding them.
Think about everyday things people need, even if the economy is slow. Can you cash in on those needs?
- Find 101 ways to save money
A great way to scrunch those numbers is to make an effort to save money wherever you can. Doing so will allow you to enjoy life more where it really matters, like spending a great weekend with your family in an adventure park or going for a weekend getaway.
Saving money doesn't mean you have to stop living and stop enjoying life, but having said this, desperate times call for desperate measures - don't you think?
Maybe you would like to share your favorite tips on saving money and how you protect yourself against the global credit crunch problem?
 | Written on 11/07/2008 by Monika Mundell. Monika Mundell is a passionate freelance writer and pro-blogger. Her blog Freelance Writing helps new freelance writers to get started in this exciting industry. If you like to work with Monika, feel free to visit her Portfolio site. | Photo Credit: Josh Parrish |
 21 Ways To Do Everything Better Doing everything with quality increases your chances for success, enhances your reputation and saves you time in the long run. People typically equate quality with skill, but quality is a by product of time, thoughts and systems.
Here are 21 ways to assure quality in everything you do. See where you can apply a couple of these rules to your life. In a few weeks, review the impact.
Review
- Review Everything
Review everything you touch before you hand it off. Proof read your documents one last time, double check that package to make sure everything is included, triple check your bullet points on your presentation.
- Review Help: Enlist a 2nd set of eyes
Even after you look things over, you may miss some glaring mistakes because you are used to your work. Having someone else look it over will give you a new perspective on your work and may even lead to new, better solutions.
- Review Other's Contributions
Don't take it for granted that others can do the job well or even that they know what they're doing. Trust but verify. Remember the saying, "Don't expect what you don't inspect."
- Review your mistakes
Sometimes you make mistakes. Learn from them and move on.
- Review Accomplishments
A lot can be learned from your past accomplishments. Take the the time to go over your past work and look objectively at what you did well and didn't do so well. There are many lessons to learn.
Control
- Control Your Task List- Don't Drop Anything
Keep track of your commitments. If you don't know what you need to do, you can't do it well.
- Control Your Commitments: Just Say No
With a heavy workload, it may be hard to get everything done right. This may mean saying no to new projects.
- Control Your Understanding
Find out deadlines and requirements. Ask questions. Make sure you know what's expected. If you don't know what you're shooting for you can't succeed.
- Control Expectations
Provide feedback at the beginning of a project of what you will be delivering. Set the scope of the project early so there aren't any misunderstandings.
- Control Yourself
Don't try to do everything yourself at one time. Break projects apart and succeed through layering one success on top of another. This will enable you provide progress and ensure you are on the right track.
Learn
- Learn From Others
The people around you may be doing some tasks better than you. How are they doing it? Look at colleagues, bosses and definitely don't neglect learning from subordinates.
- Learn Through Research
Look at industry groups, books and blogs- all may have some good tips on helping you do better.
- Learn Through Education
Are there ways to enhance your skills? Take an extra course? How can you learn more?
- Relearn
If you frequently do a task but it isn't consistently perfect, take some time to analyze the steps you should be doing. Start the process from scratch. Consciously do one step at a time making sure you're doing it right.
Think
- Commit to Quality
Decide that with anything you do, you'll do it the right way. Just committing to quality will cause you to reconsider sending out a half-baked project and increase your quality.
- Brainstorm
Think of ways you can do it better. Think of ways to put systems around your tasks.
- Envision Success
Ask yourself "What would perfect execution look like for this task?" Now go do it.
- Be Proud of Your Quality
If you take pride in your quality, you won't release non-quality items.
- Solve the Problem, Not the Request
Sometimes a "simple" request is not so simple. Find out what the requester really wants, then give it to him.
- Think big picture
Don't just solve the problem by applying a quick fix. See how it fits in the big picture and determine if you san solve a big problem with just a little more effort.
- Don't Wait for Deadlines
It's inevitable that people rush to finish a task at the deadline. This only leads to more problems. The solution is simple- start early and plan your schedule so that you finish early. Which leads to:
- Exceed expectations
You've understood the expectations and you've set expectations- now do your best to exceed them. Everyone loves good surprises!
You're not going to be able to implement this in one day but refer to this list often to ensure you're always thinking of quality. With good quality, work doesn't need to be reworked and problems are minimized.You can remember these using the mnemonic Review-TLC (TLC= Think, Learn, Control).
Did I miss anything in these steps? Let me know in the comments- I'm using you as my second set of eyes.
 | Written on 11/06/2008 by Heshy Shayovitz. He is the author of Success Making Machine where he writes extensively about the optimal way to succeed on your own terms. He is the Vice President of MetComp, and received his MBA from New York University. | Photo Credit:
CarbonNYC |
 10 Ways to Create a Work Environment That Drags You Down Do you always associate your workplace with feeling miserable, fed-up and uncomfortable? You know, you could spend a few minutes decluttering, personalizing your space, and making sure you’ve got an uplifting work environment - but, since it’s so much easier, why not stick to creating the most depressing place possible in which to work?
After all, when you fail to meet your project milestones, when you forget to send an important email, or when you just can’t be bothered to get out of bed in the morning, you’ll be able to blame your desk!
If that sounds good to you, here are ten easy rules for creating a work environment that’s guaranteed to drag your mood down:
- Avoid Privacy
First of all, when you choose your workplace, make sure you pick the desk overlooked by everyone. Sit right by the main door or the photocopier. If you work from home, set up your desk in the main family room. Feeling constantly watched will make you jumpy and insecure.
- Make it Cramped
A lack of privacy isn’t enough though. A properly depressing work environment needs to be cramped (this will help when you come to the advanced techniques further down the list, like “cluttering”). If your desk can comfortably fit your computer, in-tray and the papers you’re reading, then it’s far too big. You shouldn’t have room to swing a mouse…
- Don’t Personalize
Once you’ve found a nasty cramped desk overlooked by the entire office or your whole family, make sure you do everything in your power to keep it boring and unpersonalized. Don’t bother putting up your favorite funny or motivational poster. Don’t bring in photos of your partner and kids. You can’t hate your work completely if your workplace has good associations.
- Have Crap Lighting
A minor point, but one which many workers adopt, is to have crap lighting. That could mean fluorescent office strip-lights or a pathetic dying bulb that your laptop screen massively outshines. Either way, make sure it gives you a nagging headache all day long: a sure-fire way to feel grumpy and miserable while you’re working.
- Get Uncomfortable
Poor lighting isn’t enough though. You should make sure that you’re physically uncomfortable in every way possible. Get a chair that’s too high or low for you and which doesn’t provide adequate back support. Set your monitor as low as possible. Use the tiniest keyboard you can find (remember, you’ll need one that fits on your cramped desk). Bonus points if you can give yourself RSI – after all, you might get signed off work…
- Find Distractions
By this point, you should be bored, fed-up, uncomfortable and tired when you’re in your workplace. So you need to find some distractions. Make sure you’ve got dozens of favorite websites bookmarked to surf when you want to procrastinate. Leave novels, magazines and newspapers lying around your desk (this helps when it comes to clutter later on). If you’re at home, work with the television on.
- Somewhere Noisy
If pleasant distractions aren’t quite masochistic enough for you, make sure you’ve got some uncontrollable noise near your work environment. Find the loudest corner of the office, perhaps near the coffee machine or the water cooler. Never get double glazing – the noise of the roadworks outside will help your headache along nicely. If you work from home, encourage your kids to run around screaming.
- Clutter Your Desk
Once you’ve been in your workplace for a while, you should have built up a nice collection of papers, folders, staplers, pens, notebooks and so on. Make sure these are all over your desk, in as disorganized a manner as possible. Never file anything. Challenge yourself to have an inbox piled so high that the mound of paper reaches the ceiling. Constant clutter will make you feel ill at ease in your workplace, even when you’re not actively rummaging through it for that vital letter from a client.
- Keep it Shabby
Make sure your workplace environment looks as run-down and shabby as possible. Paint should be peeling off the walls, posters should be torn, and noticeboards should never be cleared. Don’t ever replace the carpet. And any pot-plants should be left unwatered for weeks – there’s nothing like dying plants to give your workplace a real air of gloom and decay.
- Leave it Dirty
Finally, ensure that your workplace is actively dirty. Don’t hoover or ever wipe your desk (if you have a maid, make sure the desk and floor are far too cluttered to clean). Drop crumbs in your keyboard. Spill drinks on the carpet. Leave candy bar wrappers and unwashed mugs amongst the clutter on your desk. Bonus points if you can grow mold.
Congratulations! You’ve achieved a work environment that will drag your mood down the second you step through the door. You’ve got the perfect excuse for failure in everything you do. And by this stage, you might even be advanced enough to think up some of your own ideas on making your workplace as depressing as possible. Why not share them in the comments?
| Written on 11/05/2008 by Ali Hale. Ali runs Alpha Student, a blog packed with academic, financial and practical tips to help students get the most out of their time at university. | Photo Credit: hoyasmeg |
 Seven Free Ways to Be Romantic If your financial situation is looking bleak, you may believe that you simply don’t have the money to treat your partner in the ways you’d like. Perhaps you think romance means buying big bouquets of expensive flowers, whisking your loved one to a flashy restaurant, or whipping out a bottle of champagne every night.
While those things all look great in the movies, such extravagances aren't reality. By the time work ends each day, the commute concludes, the kids are fed, etc., who has the energy to plan for romance and who has the money to constantly finance it?
Romance is another area in life that begs for simplicity. There are dozens of easy and free ways to be romantic! The beauty is that you can begin today. Don’t wait for a special occasion like Valentine’s day to do something for your loved one. A little unexpected gesture can mean a lot.
Here are seven ideas (one for each day of the week!):
- Hold Hands
Do you ever hold hands with your partner? If this is something you associate with lovey-dovey young couples, don’t automatically dismiss it. Taking your partner’s hand on a walk is a lovely way to feel close and connected. If you are talking, holding hands will make the conversation more intimate. It’s a tiny, effortless thing that instantly makes any moment a caring and romantic one.
- Make Dinner Special
If you’re having a quiet night in rather than going out to a restaurant, don’t just sit on the sofa in front of the television. Set the table, light candles, and put some gentle music on in the background. Use nice plates and take a couple of extra minutes to display the food on them attractively. This will really set the mood for a special meal – even if what you’re eating is no different from normal.
- Write a Note
When you leave before your partner’s awake, leave a note on the nightstand to say, “I love you”. If your partner takes a packed lunch to work, pop a surprise note inside. Leave a note in his wallet, or her jewelery case. Get creative and playful – how about changing your partner’s background on the computer to a message saying “I love you”? Or putting a note inside the book s/he’s reading?
- Bake Cookies
Making your partner’s favorite treats is another way to do something sweet. The time and care you take is what makes this romantic. How about heart-shaped cookies using their favorite flavorings, or cupcakes with pink or red frosting?
- Make a List
Jot down twenty things that you love about your partner. Make them personal and true while trying to avoid clichés. “I love your blue eyes” isn’t as special as “I love you for bringing me breakfast in bed every Saturday”. Once you’ve got a list you’re happy with, turn it into a framed poster, or make a tiny card book with one item on each page. This could be a lovely surprise gift.
- Snuggle Up
If you end up sitting in different chairs to watch a DVD together or, worse, on the other side of the room, try snuggling up on the sofa instead. Give your partner a cuddle when you’re both standing in the kitchen. Kiss him/her goodbye in the morning. Like holding hands, these physical gestures mean a lot. Don’t only snuggle as a prelude to sex – be affectionate just for the sake of it!
- Say “I Love You”
I’ve saved the best tip until last. This is the simplest, easiest way to be romantic – and yet so many of us don’t do it. Say “I love you” to your partner frequently. Make it the first thing you say in the morning, or the last thing you say at night, the words on your lips when you leave for work, and when you come through the front door in the evening.
I’m sure Dumb Little Man’s readers will have some great tips on how to be romantic for free (or very cheaply) – so let’s hear them in the comments! You might also enjoy the article on Date Ideas That Don’t Break the Bank.
| Written on 11/03/2008 by Ali Hale. Ali runs Alpha Student, a blog packed with academic, financial and practical tips to help students get the most out of their time at university. | Photo Credit: Here in Van Nuys
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 Eight Ways To Increase Your Energy Levels Day in and day out I hear the same complaints from the same people. I hear how tired they are, how stressed they are, etc. A week will go by and those same exact complaints will be repeated, by those same people. Complaining is natural and we all do it. The key is to correct the situation versus standing idle and accepting it.
One of the more common complaints generally comes right after lunch. Yes, we're talking about the afternoon slump that occurs because something has sucked out every bit of energy you had. This lunch coma can be a huge show-stopper for some.
However, the good news is, you don't have to feel like that every day. There are countless ways to raise your energy levels quite naturally and intentionally.
- Sleep enough
Duh! You might not think of the obvious cause, but if you consistently feel tired in the afternoon and lack energy, it could be due to lack of sleep. Often a small adjustment of your sleeping habits can already do wonders for your energy levels. Experiment and find out what your optimal sleep levels are.
- Get juiced up
Instead of eating a massive, greasy breakfast, try something quick and healthy. How about some fruit and vegetable juice instead? Not only will you get heaps of vitamins, minerals and fiber, but fresh juice will put vitality back into your life for sure.
A heavy breakfast takes far too long to digest, while a juice is light and preserves your energy.
- Curb your caffeine addiction
If you are a serious coffee addict you might not be happy about this suggestion. I wasn't either 20 years ago. Back then I used to survive on about 7 cups of coffee a day and eventually my addiction became so bad that I started to experience nervous heart flutters in the afternoon.
As a result, I did the radical and cut coffee from my diet for a while. I have to say it did work wonders for my energy levels and my nervous system. Today, I'm a coffee lover instead, meaning I have to have one good brewed coffee a day to get my fix.
- Walk this way
A quick 10-minute walk can do wonders for a sluggish metabolism. The combination of fresh air and exercise is ideal to get your heart pumping while the blood rushes to your brain, energizing those wary brain cells.
- Say no to sugar and carbohydrates
These are the devils of modern fast food. Even worse, they get us addicted to all the crappy low fat produce on the supermarket shelves. Natural sugar as it is contained in fruit is so much better for you, but even so, everything should be in balance.
Biscuits, cakes, most cereal, lollies and other high carb snacks should be banned from your household. Not only will you feel better by cutting out those fake foods, but your waste line will also thank you for it.
- Yoga or stretching
I love to stretch. That is probably one reason why I love yoga so much. When we stretch and release our muscles, we allow the blood to flow unhindered through the body, allowing us to energize within minutes.
A great way to refresh your energy levels in the afternoon is to do a 10-minute stretching session. Stretch your legs, toes, torso, arms, hands, shoulders and neck with gentle movements.
- Deep breathing exercise
Another great way to re-energize your body is with a quick deep breathing exercise. Sit on a chair with a straight back and breathe deeply while you focus on your breath going in – going out. At the same time use a powerful affirmation to invigorate your mind and body.
I like this one because you can do this at work without being caught by your fellow workers.
- Essential water
Since humans are made up of around 70 percent water, we need water to keep our life sustained. If you feel sluggish, the first thing you should look for is dehydration. Our brain can only function at optimum levels with enough hydration and when there is lack of water, the first signs of warning from the body is often tiredness, as it tries to preserve our vital energies.
Conventional suggestions tell us to drink at least 2 liters of water a day, but this has been the cause for many discussions, because people who live in a hot climate need a lot more water than those who live in colder regions. Remember the golden rule on this, if you are thirsty, drink water.
Repeating the same behaviors everyday but expecting a different result is a fool's game. If you get tired every day, shake things up a little!
What do you (or will you do) to kick your energy levels back into gear when the afternoon slump hits you?
| Written on 10/31/2008 by Monika Mundell. Monika Mundell is a passionate freelance writer and pro-blogger. Her blog Freelance Writing helps new freelance writers to get started in this exciting industry. If you like to work with Monika, feel free to visit her Portfolio site. | Photo Credit: littledan77 |
 Can You Trust What You Read Online? Five Ways to Find Out When it comes to the internet, you know that there’s a lot of misleading, inaccurate or downright false information out there. By now, most of you have heard the advice, “Don’t trust everything you read.” But how can you tell what to trust and what not to?
Here are some questions that you should get into the habit of asking whilst you’re reading anything (not just online): whether it’s a blog post, newspaper article, sales letter or brochure. - What’s the Author’s Purpose?
The most important question to ask, and one you should have in mind when you start to read, is “What’s the author’s purpose?” All writing has a purpose. It might be to:
- Entertain you – make you laugh
- Give you information
- Sell you something
- Encourage you to come back to a blog or magazine in future
- Build up the author’s reputation in his/her field
Some purposes are inherently more trustworthy than others. For example, if the author is trying to give you information, or build her reputation, then the facts in the article are likely to be ones that the author at least believes are true. But if the author is trying to sell something, then read with caution.
- Who Is the Author?
Even if the author’s purpose seems laudable, you’ll want to ask yourself who the author actually is. Have you ever heard of him? If so, is he an authority in his industry or field – or is he a suspected charlatan?
For example, imagine an article entitled “How to Become a Lifecoach”. You should trust this if it was written by Tim Brownson, a qualified and practising lifecoach, who has an entertaining and informative blog. But if I had written the article, you definitely should take what I’ve written with a grain of salt. I’m a writer, not a coach, and I’ve never so much as read the “Dummy’s Guide to Lifecoaching”.
Of course, as a professional writer, I sometimes do write on topics I don’t know much about. When I do this, I need to undertake a lot of research. So if you’re reading an article by an unknown writer, it’s especially important to ask the next couple of questions.
- Are Sources Cited?
Does the author give you facts – especially statistics – without any evidence to back them up? In an entertaining piece, this might be fine (it doesn’t matter too much whether the numbers are right, so long as the article is funny). But if you’re reading an informative piece about the economy, and the author says, “Ten million people will be out of work by Christmas” – does she link to a particular source that backs this up?
And just because you’ve heard a fact before doesn’t mean you should take it at face value. Have you ever read about the Harvard Goal Setting study? It’s an oft-cited example of why you should set written goals, which is usually referenced as first appearing in the book What They Don’t Teach You in the Harvard Business School, by Mark McCormack. This is how it goes (taken from Harvard Business School Story):
In that year [1979], the students were asked, "Have you set clear, written goals for your future and made plans to accomplish them?" Only three percent of the graduates had written goals and plans; 13 percent had goals, but they were not in writing; and a whopping 84 percent had no specific goals at all.
Ten years later, the members of the class were interviewed again, and the findings, while somewhat predictable, were nonetheless astonishing. The 13 percent of the class who had goals were earning, on average, twice as much as the 84 percent who had no goals at all. And what about the three percent who had clear, written goals? They were earning, on average, ten times as much as the other 97 percent put together. But a couple of weeks ago, I read Fact or Fiction? The Truth About The Harvard Written Goal Study on SidSavara.com. It was an eye-opener. Sid looked for the original study online, and found no evidence that the study ever existed, despite it being cited in numerous books and all over the web. There’s a very similar story about a Yale study in 1953 – which again, can’t be backed up.
So just because a book is cited, don’t assume that the information in the book is necessarily accurate.
- Are Examples Included?
Does the author write very abstract, high-level information, without any concrete details? The article might still be true but it’s not likely to be very useful to you. The most trustworthy articles won’t just include general principles or woolly statements, but will give examples too. And the best examples include specific figures or facts, or quotes from people who aren’t the author and who don’t have a vested interest.
What do you trust more, “You could make loads as an online copywriter” or an article including several stories from different copywriters who are making over $50,000 a year?
- Does the Article Contradict Your Prior Knowledge?
Finally, ask yourself whether the facts in an article go against what you already know. If you read a sales letter for a new diet pill that claims you can “lose 20 lbs in a month”, you’ve got good reasons to be sceptical. Most people on a diet lose 1-2 lbs per week, and most diet pills are known to be notoriously ineffective and even dangerous (one, Acomplia, has recently been banned in the UK and was never approved for use in the US, due to its association with psychiatric problems).
Any statements which seem “too good to be true” also fall into this category. You may not have prior knowledge of the exact area that the article is about, but you do know that most people don’t “make $$$ working from home” (or they’d all be doing it!)
How do you figure out what to trust and what to ignore when you’re reading online – or when you’re reading books and newspapers? Which of the above tips do you think would help you most – or which would you like to add to the list? | Written on 10/30/2008 by Ali Hale. Ali runs Alpha Student, a blog packed with academic, financial and practical tips to help students get the most out of their time at university. | Photo Credit: CarbonNYC |
 7 Important Fitness Tips For Web Workers Web working and fitness usually don't go hand in hand. In fact, fitness is probably the last thing on a web worker's mind.
In front of a computer all day and constantly working on new projects, a web worker doesn't have the time to keep fit. As a result, their weight increases, mental stress levels increase, and frankly, overall health goes down the tubes.
This is the problem; without good health, productivity declines. When a web worker's productivity declines, output declines. Guess what's next? That's right, when output declines, income declines.
There's always an excuse when you are asked to take time off and do some exercise; there's always a tomorrow. However, consider making the change tomorrow morning - for real. Take a little time and do something that will break the ball and chain you call a job from your ankle.
Here are some steps to take:
First Step - Discipline
Absolutely. The road to fitness and good health starts off at being disciplined and organized. Unless you are disciplined enough to eat the right food, exercise on time, or even take time off on time, it wouldn't help. Being at home doesn't mean you've got to disrespect time. If you do it, it will kill you. So make sure you do things on time.
Now keep in mind that the 'time' could be different for different people. You might be sleeping at 3 AM and I might be working while taking a bite of a sandwich. That's cool if we both manage to stick to our schedules. It doesn't matter if I exercise at 5 AM or 5 PM. The important thing is that I do it regularly.
Take a Walk Everyday
I wanted to suggest a run but considering that most of us are born procrastinators, a run could have been intimidating enough to be scheduled for the elusive tomorrow. So, a walk is always a good way to start today. If it's not possible for you to do it everyday, then make sure you do it at least three times a week.
You might want to buy a treadmill and run on it, but I'd still insist on a walk. That's because apart from setting us in motion and providing the much needed movement to our legs, a walk also exposes us to fresh air, which believe it or not for a web worker, is one of the most important things needed to stay fit. Sometimes we don't realize that we haven't stepped out of the house for days. A walk everyday would give us the excuse to do just that.
Get the Right Chair
I think it would be to correct to say that the chair is second only to the computer as the most important part of a web worker's everyday work. And if it's such an important part, it's equally important to get it right. It should be nice and comfortable so that you don't feel the stress after sitting on it for hours.
Renowned programmer and blogger Jeff Atwood nicely explains why you should invest in a quality ergonomic chair. And if you've realized that you should go ahead and replace your chair with a new one, then this computer chair buying guide could help you to choose the right one for yourself.
Supercharge Your Brain
I just remembered Shilpan's article on 14 simple ways to supercharge your brain. It's important to keep not just physically fit but mentally fit as well. It's all about brains, isn't it? The more you can apply it, the better are the results. Hence it requires some extra nourishment, especially if you are a web worker.
In case you are looking to supercharge your brain with some good mental games then here are 5 great games to help you do it.
Don't Forget the Eyes
While talking about the brain, I almost forgot about the eyes. I don't think I need to explain why it is of utmost importance that you take extra care of your eyes if you are a web worker. Sitting all day long with your eyes stuck at your computer screen doesn't go great for your eyes, really.
A simple and effective way to take care of your eyes would be to take time off at regular intervals, splash your eyes with water and then lay down on the bed with your eyes closed for a minute or two. If you don't remember to take breaks, then there are tools like Workrave available which would remind you to do it.
10 Minutes Of Yoga
Yes, even if you do just 10 minutes of yoga everyday it could work wonders for your health. The simple breathing exercises could be a great way to consume those 10 minutes. If you diligently do it everyday then you'd soon find yourself less tired and more productive at your work.
Stop Procrastinating!
Believe me, this is a great fitness tip. Being a web worker myself, I can confirm that web workers are the laziest breed when it comes to getting up, leaving the chair and doing something else - be it exercise or some household chore. I know after reading this article you'd have a firm determination to start exercising or taking a walk tomorrow. And tomorrow, there will be nothing but another firm determination for the next day.
Well, I've got the right to ask you to stop procrastinating because I got rid of that habit myself a few days ago. I now take a walk (a run actually) everyday and I can't tell you how refreshing it is. So if you haven't started the process yet, go ahead and start it....now.
| Written on 10/30/2008 by Abhijeet Mukherjee. You can catch him at Jeet Blog where he blogs about different Web 2.0 apps a nd online tools and how they can help you become more productive. | Photo Credit:
tym |
 Halloween Trick Or Treat With A Twist With Halloween just around the corner, kids of all ages will do what they always do on the night of ghosts and horror, they trick or treat in their neighborhood.
To combat obesity problems in young children, it is important that we as parents look for alternatives. This way, our kids can still have fun while not being deprived of trick or treating the night away.
It is a known fact that lollies and sweets are not only bad for the teeth, but also for the figure. Sweets consumed in massive amounts (as kids so happily do when they are not monitored) can become more of a curse than fun and be responsible for huge dentist bills later down the track.
You owe your kid the responsibility of looking out for ways in which they can safely consume Halloween treats without the added sugar.
- Hand out alternatives
Instead of handing out massive amounts of sweets to the children who come trick or treating at your house, why not give away some fun things that are longer lasting and less strenuous on their health. Things such as popular temporary tattoos, trading cards, stickers or sugarless sweets are a great alternative to the sugar laden stuff they usually get.
- Cook your kids a healthy dinner on Halloween night
Kids should learn the importance of good nutrition at an early age. By cooking them a healthy Halloween dinner with lots of protein, fiber and vegetables, they will be ideally nourished for a night of trick or treating later on. When kids are less hungry they seem to develop less cravings for sweets.
- Follow up by taking their candy bag hostage
This might sound cruel, but your kids will only benefit if you take responsibility and confiscate their candy bag once they get home. Responsible adults are aware that kids need to be supervised and that includes monitoring their sweet intake.
- Buy “healthy sweets”
Buy healthy sweets (if there was such a thing as healthy sweets anyway). Nevertheless, you can control the damage in some ways by buying gummy bears made of natural fruit juices opposed to artificial ingredients. Even cutting down on the size and amount of the candy you buy for Halloween can make a huge difference for the health of your child.
- Make your own
Another great way to counteract sugar addiction is to hand out some home made healthy mini muffins, made with wholemeal flour and honey or little chocolate treats. Even though these
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